World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

With drought bringing hunger to millions, WFP’s school meals programme offers much needed relief for hundreds of thousands of children throughout the Sahel region of West Africa.

Drought has returned to the Sahel region of West Africa spelling hunger to millions for the third time in recent years. 

The quick recurrence of droughts means that people have had little time to recover. Savings are exhausted and livestock herds have not been replenished.

The humanitarian needs in the Sahel region are huge – WFP has launched a regional response to reach more than 8.8 million people with food assistance.

According to Ousmane Koanda, director at the Tin-Ediar school, the situation this year is very serious. Most food reserves were emptied already in January – and at the same time food prices skyrocketed. 

The Tin-Ediar school in Burkina Faso’s Sahel region has 91 students and has been part of WFP’s school meals programme since 2003.

The children in Tin-Ediar are daily served a flour based fortified breakfast and a couscous-based fortified lunch. 

In Burkina Faso, WFP’s school meals programme brings much needed relief to over 90,000 children in the country’s Sahel region. The region is the most food-insecure and has the highest rate of malnutrition in Burkina Faso.

1. The programme increases school enrollment and attendance rates. But it also enables the children to concentrate during class – keeping them on track towards a better future.

Drought and the consequent hunger are forcing parents to take painful decisions – such as taking their children out of school. The school meals programme plays a critical role in keeping children in school, says director Ousmane Koanda.

In addition to the meals served in school, girls enrolled in the last two grades are receiving a take-home ration of 10 kg cereals per months which encourages parents to keep girls in school and enables them to complete the primary school cycle.

The two nutritious meals served daily at the Tin-Ediar school are a crucial safety net for families affected by the drought.